- Date
- August 6, 1983, 19:20 local (Aug 7, 1983, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Seminole, TX
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2122ZPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830806039069A
- Case key
- 20751
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Prior to the flt, the plt & passengers were observed drinking beer in a lounge. They told witnesses that they were going to the arpt to eat & were later seen at a restaurant on the arpt. After that, they decided to fly. The takeoff time & purpose of the flt was not determined. At about 1920 CDT, the acft collided with a support cable of a large rotary irrigation sys & crashed. The collision occurred at an alt of aprx 20 ft AGL. No known witnesses saw the accident, but an unidentified witness told law enforcement personnel that he saw the acft flying thru the sprinkler spray prior to the collision. Two other witnesses saw the acft fling low in the vicinity. With the irrigation sprinklers operating, the support cables were hard to see. The plt's blood was checked & an alcohol level of 0.108% was found. Also, the plt had a positive test for marijuana.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2122Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7931147
- Airframe hours
- 822
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB1, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard Long
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 20, 1982 · 59 hours before
- Departed
- HOB · Hobbs, NM
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOB, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.